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| Below: Are Calvin Penney and Dr Fonda Howander Based on Real People? The Truth Behind Netflix’s Series. |
Netflix’s Below may feature a mysterious sea creature, a troubled Newfoundland town and a pair of unlikely allies, but Calvin Penney and Dr Fonda Howander are fictional characters rather than portrayals of real people. The series draws on real places, scientific research and the lives of people who work at sea to give its extraordinary story a convincing foundation. Josh Hartnett’s fisherman Calvin and Mackenzie Davis’s ocean scientist Fonda might not exist outside the screen, but the world surrounding them has plenty of real-life detail behind it.
The story unfolds in Snook’s Arm, where Calvin encounters a strange sea creature connected to an experience from his childhood. Its return unsettles the community, bringing fresh complications to a town already struggling with its own problems.
As Calvin tries to understand what is happening, Fonda becomes one of the few people capable of helping him make sense of the creature and the wider danger surrounding its appearance. Their investigation eventually leads them towards a threat more alarming than either could have anticipated, with the story also exploring how greed can produce consequences far beyond the people responsible for it.
Calvin Penney is not based on a documented real-life fisherman, although Hartnett took considerable steps to make his performance feel authentic. The actor approached the role with an interest in Newfoundland's distinctive culture, local history and relationship with the sea. His own experience as a father also gave him a personal point of connection with Calvin's family life, while the show's creators considered his Minnesota background helpful in shaping the character.
That connection, however, only goes so far. Being a family man does not automatically prepare anyone to deal with an unexplained marine creature, particularly one capable of turning an entire town upside down. Hartnett's preparation therefore went well beyond drawing on his own life. He spent time with Newfoundland residents, learning about their customs, everyday routines and the challenges faced by coastal communities. The aim was to understand the people behind the setting rather than treat the region as a picturesque backdrop for a creature feature.
His research also brought him into contact with local fishermen, whose experiences helped him understand Calvin's working life. Hartnett took boating lessons and learnt how to tie fishing nets, gaining practical knowledge of the skills required to work at sea.
These details matter because Calvin's connection to the ocean is central to the story. His relationship with the water is not simply a convenient excuse for the plot to introduce something strange beneath the waves; it is part of how he understands his home and the people around him.
The fishermen also shared accounts of unusual and difficult-to-explain experiences at sea. Such stories helped Hartnett approach the series' supernatural elements with a greater appreciation of how the ocean can remain mysterious to those who spend their lives working on it. That does not make the creature in Below real, of course. It does, however, help explain why the series can make its central mystery feel more grounded than its premise might initially suggest.
Hartnett also had to master Newfoundland's distinctive accent. He worked with a dialect coach and listened to local radio programmes and podcasts, including The Broadcast, to become more familiar with the region's speech patterns. His co-stars, particularly those playing members of Calvin's family, also worked with the same dialect coach to maintain a consistent sound on screen.
It is a practical detail that can make a significant difference. A convincing accent is not just about pronouncing words differently; it helps establish a character's relationship with a particular community. If one member of a fictional family sounds as though they have just arrived from somewhere else while everyone around them speaks like lifelong locals, the illusion can disappear rather quickly. Hartnett's preparation helped avoid that problem while giving Calvin a stronger sense of belonging.
Dr Fonda Howander also has no direct real-life counterpart, but her scientific background has a more specific connection to actual ocean research. The character, played by Mackenzie Davis, was developed with reference to the work of Annie Mercier, a scientist associated with the Ocean Sciences Center. Mercier's research into marine life and the ocean provided an informative real-world point of reference for the series' fictional scientist.
That distinction is important. Fonda should not be mistaken for a dramatised version of Mercier, nor does the connection mean that the events surrounding her character actually happened. Instead, the production used real scientific expertise to help shape a character whose work involves investigating mysteries that ordinary explanations struggle to resolve. Fonda's professional knowledge gives Calvin a route into the scientific side of the story, allowing the pair to approach the same problem from very different perspectives.
Davis also had the advantage of filming Fonda's laboratory scenes at the Ocean Sciences Center in Newfoundland and Labrador. The facility provided a genuine research environment, helping the actor familiarise herself with the atmosphere and surroundings of scientific work. Davis described the building as resembling something out of a James Bond villain's headquarters, perched at the edge of the world outside St John's.
It is an amusing comparison, but it also captures the atmosphere the series needs. An ocean research facility can be a place of serious scientific investigation while still looking suitably mysterious for a story about something lurking in the depths. The setting gives Fonda's work a tangible sense of place, rather than relying entirely on fictional laboratory sets and dramatic computer screens.
The research centre's involvement also helps distinguish the show's approach from a story that simply invents scientific terminology whenever the plot needs an explanation. By drawing on a real institution and the work of an actual scientist, the production could give Fonda a more credible professional background. Her discoveries remain part of the fictional narrative, but the environment surrounding her work has a basis in reality.
The broader Newfoundland setting plays a similar role. The region's coastal communities, fishing traditions and local speech patterns help establish a world shaped by the sea. For Calvin, the ocean is connected to family, livelihood and local identity. For Fonda, it represents a scientific frontier filled with questions that remain unanswered. Bringing those perspectives together gives the series a more interesting foundation than simply placing a monster in the water and waiting for everyone to panic.
The show's themes also reach beyond its central creature mystery. As the investigation develops, the danger facing Snook's Arm becomes tied to the consequences of greed and the willingness of people to exploit what they do not fully understand.
These concerns have clear parallels in the real world, where commercial interests and environmental questions can collide. However, the fictional events and antagonists should not be treated as evidence that the series depicts a specific real-life case.
That balance between reality and invention is what gives Below its particular appeal. The production borrows the texture of real coastal life and scientific research without claiming that its characters or extraordinary events are factual. Hartnett's time with fishermen and Davis's connection to the Ocean Sciences Center add credibility, while the mysterious creature and the danger threatening the town belong firmly to the realm of fiction.
In my view, the most interesting thing about Below is not whether Calvin Penney or Fonda Howander can be traced to a real person, but how much work goes into making fictional people feel as though they could live somewhere beyond the screen. Hartnett's practical preparation gives Calvin a believable connection to the sea, while Davis's research helps Fonda feel like a scientist rather than someone who happens to own a lab coat.
The Newfoundland setting does much of the heavy lifting, too, offering the story a distinctive identity without needing to explain every detail. And honestly, the ocean is already mysterious enough without a television series having to convince us that every strange thing beneath it is real.
The result is a story that mixes recognisable human concerns with an imaginative marine mystery. What do you think makes Below more convincing: the Newfoundland setting, the scientific research or the performances of Hartnett and Davis? Share your thoughts and let us know whether you would like to see more stories exploring the real-world inspiration behind the series.